New York Times, April 30 Resignation Could Be Part of World Bank Compromise
Wall Street Journal, April 30 Wolfowitz Plans 'Substantial' Defense
Financial Times, April 30 Wolfowitz to face Panel of Bank Directors
New York Times, April 29 Document Dispute at Center of Wolfowitz Case
What the Board of Governors said about Wolfowitz:
"We have to ensure that the Bank can effectively carry out its mandate and maintain its credibility and reputation as well as the motivation of its staff. The current situation is of great concern to all of us. We endorse the Board's actions in looking into this matter and we asked it to complete its work. We expect the Bank to adhere to a high standard of internal governance."
The following points summarize some of the most costly consequences if Wolfowitz is not forced to resign:
· Deterioration in Reputation... The tarnished reputation of the institution will not be restored without the closure that Wolfowitz's departure would bring. The brand of the World Bank has already been damaged under Wolfowitz's management style and his repeated difficulties with the Board and his managers. The Bank will find itself in a position where it has greater difficulty in attracting the high-quality staff needed to carry out the Bank's operations. It is highly likely that if Wolfowitz were to be retained, many long-serving Bank staff would leave the organization given the high levels of distrust and moral outrage at his behavior and leadership style.
· Loss of Credibility on Governance and Anti-Corruption...
· Breach of Staff's Trust...
· Diminished Ethical Standards of Top Management...
· Lost Confidence of Board of Directors...
· Department of Integrity...
· Double Standard of Ethics...
· Relationship with Development Partners...
· IDA 15 Replenishment...
40 European civil society groups backed calls for Wolfowitz's resignation in an open letter to European development and finance ministers today.
19 April 2007
Dear Ministers,
European civil society backs Wolfowitz resignation calls and urges comprehensive reform of World Bank governance...
See comments for full list and full story
Eurodad.org
Financial Times, April 15, 2007 -- Two sources told the Financial Times that Xavier Coll, the bank's senior human resources officer, was not consulted over the terms and conditions offered to Robin Cleveland and Kevin Kellems, former Bush administration officials who Mr Wolfowitz brought with him to the bank.
Ms Cleveland and Mr Kellems were given salaries of about $250,000 (£126,000) net of tax – the same amount paid to the highest ranked career bank officials, who typically have 25 years of development experience
World Bank policy is that the president has the authority to make an appointment at any level, but it would be normal for the head of HR to be consulted over the terms of such appointments, two sources told the FT. It is understood that mid-ranking HR officials were consulted over the appointments.
The FT's revelations are potentially damaging because they suggest that irregular processes over appointments under Mr Wolfowitz were not limited to his personal involvement in the Riza affair.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/e7fea16e-eb81-11db-b290-000b5df10621.html
Washington D.C., April 15, 2007 -- The editorial pages of newspapers across the world today called for Wolfowitz to resign, adding pressure to the World Bank's Board of Governors as they meet in Washington this weekend.
Facing a rising tide of public outrage at the sleaze and corruption scandal engulfing the Bank's President, Governors must decide whether to call for his resignation or risk leaving the institution severely compromised with Wolfowitz at the helm. Editorial pages in the UK, Kenya, France, Pakistan, and Turkey carried calls for Wolfowitz to go.
The International Herald Tribune said: What might Wolfowitz himself say if he discovered that a government receiving World Bank loans was making similar sweet arrangements for the personal friends of its president?
Governors are being challenged by public opinion in their respective capitals to demonstrate that they are practicing good governance at the Bank, and promoting transparency and accountability in the Wolfowitz matter.
Wolfowitz appears unrepentant and unclear that he has done wrong. An email to all staff late Saturday was a step back from his position of Thursday when he apologized for his "mistake". On Saturday, he did not apologize for the damage done to the Bank or offer further explanation but said that "misleading information was circulating".
Staff are said to be angry at the lack of action by the Bank's board, saying that the damage to the Bank's ability to fulfill its mandate in developing countries is enormous.
The International Herald Tribune today joined the growing chorus calling for Wolfowitz to go when its editorial page asked:
"What might Wolfowitz himself say if he discovered that a government receiving World Bank loans was making similar sweet arrangements for the personal friends of its president?"
The IHT joins The Financial Times, Le Monde, Pakistan's Daily Times, Turkish Daily News, Kenya's Sunday Nation, Jamaica Gleaner, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Star-Ledger, Sunday Herald, and Investor's Business Daily in calling for his resignation.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/15/opinion/edwolf.php
World Bank Staff reacted with disgust today to revelations that a staff blog was being censored and that references to a planned demonstration, calling for Wolfowitz' resignation were deleted.
The blog, located on the World Bank intranet, was established on Thursday, April 12, after Executive Directors forced the full disclosure of documents in the Wolfowitz sleaze scandal. The article entitled "Executive Directors Review Report, Release Documents" led to a blog of staff response and comments that had reached 259 individual postings on Saturday evening.
Today staff learned that not all blog postings were being posted in entirety and that any postings that referred to a planned demonstration were disappearing or not being posted.
The revelation cast frightening doubt on the anonymity of staff contributions to the blog, leaving hundreds of staff who have blogged anonymously fearing reprisals from the Wolfowitz team.
In response, staff have begun a letter writing campaign to their Executive Directors asking that the Board of the Bank call for Wolfowitz' resignation. The Executive Directors are the sitting chairs of the World Bank board, representing around 180 countries, and are responsible for its governance.
Staff are now blogging at http://wolfowitzmustresign.blogspot.com/
